Article December 18, 2000 Issue

The controlling factor

Spiritual growth is beginning to pay great dividends within our family.

Ellen Thompson

In letters and telephone calls I often reminded our children of special events coming up in the lives of family members, hoping they might call or send cards when appropriate. They all lead busy lives, so communication between them is sometimes sparse. As a parent sometimes does, I encouraged them to stay in touch. Several of our grown kids occasionally teased me about this. Sometimes they even told me they really could think for themselves and didn't need to be manipulated into being thoughtful.

Ouch! Even though I'd thought my motive was a good one, I began to see that I had been guilty of attempting to control them. In fact, I'd been guilty of this many times over. I needed to pray. The first thing I did was to admit to myself what I'd done. On one particular occasion, I apologized to one of our kids for making this mistake. And eventually we had a good laugh about it.

I also spent time recognizing for myself that God is their real Father and Mother and that they naturally express love. Each one is the spiritual reflection of divine Love. Each family member is actually God's spiritual idea—one with Him—so there is an essential unity binding them together. We all are under the control of one Mind that is God.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Christian Science Reading Rooms